In-migration to suburban towns of Shanghai, 1980 - 87

Abstract

The thesis studies the town-oriented migration and the socio-economic development of towns in the suburbs of Shanghai during 1980 - 87. Since the Chinese government started the economic reforms in 1978, an impressive nationwide rural-urban migration has been witnessed in China, along with the rapid economic development both in cities and towns. The thesis presents a correlative link between the town development and the town-oriented migration, especially which of the fast industrialization of towns and the transference of rural labour surplus. Strong localization of rural labour movement is revealed in this study, which shows the effects of regional development as well as the implication of government policies. The demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the town-oriented migrants, as well as their motivation to migrate, are analysed in the thesis. The results show that the townward migration is closely related to the recent social and economic changes in China, and the regional difference in the rate of development causes the variation in the migrants' motivation to move and distinctive features of in-migrants. The suburban towns of Shanghai, which are located in a metropolitan area, also received in-migrants from cities, particularly from the parent city, along with the rural migration inflow, due to the effects of large industrial sprawl and deurbanization of the major city. The thesis also presents the features of rural-urban migration and its relevant constraints in China.